


Know, Not Be Known.

by Miqdad_Suleman



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Death Eater Harry Potter, F/M, Gen, Harry Potter is Not the Boy-Who-Lived, Harry is a double agent, James Potter & Lily Evans Potter Live, Mark is the Boy-Who-Lived, No Wrong-Boy-Who-Lived, Spy Harry Potter, just a different one
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:14:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26408557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miqdad_Suleman/pseuds/Miqdad_Suleman
Summary: "The life of spies is to know, not be known."— George Herbert."You know what must be done, Harry," Dumbledore said, his eyes dull."I do," Harry said. He looked over to his family. Mark was only a fourth year and Rose a first year. Was he ready to leave them behind for a life of suffering?Then he saw his parents, standing before his grandfather's grave and rage filled him. The Dark Lord had to die, and if Harry could help in his defeat, he had to."Take me to Voldemort," he said to Snape. "I'm ready to be a spy."
Relationships: Albus Dumbledore & Harry Potter, Harry Potter & Mark Potter (Original Male Character), Harry Potter & Rose Potter (Original Female Character), James Potter/Lily Evans Potter
Comments: 6
Kudos: 22
Collections: Harry Potter Fanfiction Favorites





	Know, Not Be Known.

**_Chapter 1— Prophetic Remembrance_ **

**26th November 1993— Headmaster’s Office, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

The office was large, filled with shelves of ancient artefacts, some gleaming as he watched them and others glowing ominously from behind their thick glass cases; and spindle-legged tables of silver magical instruments, emitting little puffs of smoke as they whirred and clicked. The walls of the circular room were covered with portraits of sleeping (or pretending to sleep, at least) witches and wizards. Harry recognised many of them— Dilys Derwent (1704–1768): St. Mungo’s (1722–1738), Hogwarts Professor of Charms (1739–1742), Headmistress of Hogwarts (1741–1768); Everard Drabble (1799–1879): Auror (1822—1834), Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement (1834–1849), Headmaster of Hogwarts (1850–1872, 1874–1878)— as famous past Heads of Hogwarts.

Dumbledore was nowhere to be seen, so Harry sat in one of the chairs behind an ornate, claw-footed desk. As he sat, he heard a sound from behind him and he whirled around.

“In the name of Merlin and Morgana,” he breathed. “Are you…?”

On a perch by the door was a swan-sized, crimson bird, striking and majestic. As he watched, the bird took to the air and landed on Dumbledore’s desk.

“Hello,” Harry whispered. “Are you… a phoenix?”

“He is.” A voice said from behind him. He turned again to see Dumbledore climbing out from a trapdoor he hadn’t noticed before. “That, Harry, is Fawkes.”

“Is he yours, professor?” Harry asked.

“I would not dare claim a phoenix as my own, Harry. Fawkes is… my companion, you could say, in this world. Once I die, he will eventually find a new companion to live another part of his life with. Phoenixes are immortal, you see.”

“How?” Harry asked. “I mean, they’re just creatures, aren’t they? Extremely intelligent creatures, but creatures, nonetheless.”

“On the contrary,” Dumbledore said. “I dare say they have more right to be the dominant species of Earth than humans do. But we digress, Harry! I have called you here, not to discuss phoenixes, as interesting as the topic may be, but for another reason.”

“Er, right. Sorry, professor.”

“Quite alright, my boy. Now, curfew is fast approaching, so let us hasten our discussion. Tell me, Harry. What do you know of Horcruxes?”

“Never heard of them,” he said, honestly. “Should I have?”

“If you had, I would be quite worried. Horcruxes are amongst the Darkest of Dark Magic. To put it simply, a Horcrux is an object in which one conceals a part of their soul. To split your soul requires the supreme act of evil: murder. Through this, the creator of the Horcrux is made essentially immortal, for the Horcrux acts as an anchor for the rest of the soul, keeping it earthbound as long as the Horcrux exists.”

“I… see,” Harry said. “Why are you telling me this, sir?”

“Can you think of any one person willing to commit such an act?” Dumbledore asked, examining Harry intently over his glasses.

“I… Yes. Vol— You-Know-Who.” Realisation dawned on Harry’s face and he stared at Dumbledore, horrified. “Are you saying—”

“Yes. Voldemort has created Horcruxes. That is how he survived that night, though he was left powerless.”

“Horcruxes?! As in, plural?!”

"I believe so, yes," Dumbledore said, gravely.

“How is that even possible?!” Harry demanded. “That violates so many laws of magic! The Arithmancy can’t work. It _can’t_!”

“Harry,” Dumbledore said. “Calm yourself.”

He took a deep breath, then said, “Why are you even telling me this?”

“I must apologise, Harry. I am about to place a heavy burden on you. One no one should ever have to face.” He stood and, with a flick of his wand, summoned a shallow stone basin covered in rune carvings —a Pensieve— from a nearby cabinet. The headmaster then placed his wand on his temple and removed a memory, which he placed into the Pensieve. A scene began to play out on the shadowy surface of the bowl and Dumbledore gestured to Harry.

“After you.”

Slowly, Harry stood and leaned into the basin. The moment his nose touched the memories, he was pulled in, and then he was falling. Finally, he hit the ground and the mist around him cleared.

“This is the Hog’s Head Inn on a December night in 1979. One of the— ah, less reputable institutions in Hogsmeade,” said Dumbledore. “I was here to interview a woman for the post of Divination professor. I had heard of no prophecies in her name and she showed no sign of the gift, but out of respect for her great-great-grandmother, who had passed not too long before and was a gifted Seer, I agreed to meet with her.”

The corridor was filthy, with sawdust and what seemed to be years of accumulated filth covering every surface. In front of them, a younger Albus Dumbledore, dressed in neon green robes, was talking to a man with an uncanny resemblance to him.

“You seem to be keeping well, Abeforth.”

The man, Abeforth, snorted. “If this is your idea of ‘well’, then you’re worse off than I thought you were. Can’t exactly be surprised though, with your friend, the Dark Lord, turning out as he did.”

Dumbledore sighed. “If that is how you wish to be, very well. I would appreciate it if you could direct me to Ms Trelawney before we part ways.”

“Looking for company for the night? Ain’t you too old for that, Albie?” Abeforth said, laughing at his own joke.

Harry couldn't quite restrain his disgust at the idea, and present-Dumbledore chuckled. "Abeforth has always had quite an unusual fascination with 'adult' matters."

“No, I am merely looking for a Divination Professor. The room number?”

"Room 4." Abeforth spat before he picked up a filthy dishrag and began ferociously scrubbing a hole through an equally filthy plate.-

“My thanks,” the Headmaster said brightly. He walked towards a door at the back marked ‘Rooms’ and Harry and present-Dumbledore followed him.

Memory-Dumbledore was silent for a time, so present-Dumbledore started talking again.

“That was my younger brother, Abeforth. After an… incident, only a few months after I left Hogwarts, we have not had the best relations, as you saw.”

Memory-Dumbledore was muttering to himself, “eight, and here’s... ten, no, that way. Six, and… ah! Four.” He knocked on the door to the room, using his wand to clean the corridor as he waited. A few seconds passed before the door swung open to reveal a woman who he was all too familiar with.

“That’s Trelawney!”

"It is," Present-Dumbledore said.

“Professor Dumbledore!” Trelawney said, looking quite panicked. “I thought— I mean, won’t you come in!”

"Of course," Memory-Dumbledore said.

They followed the two into the tiny room. Trelawney and memory-Dumbledore sat at a table (with the latter discreetly flicking his hand to clean his chair of dust) and began the interview.

Present-Dumbledore turned to Harry and said, “This part is unimportant, so allow me to talk on another matter. It is my wish that you be trained by myself and a few others, regardless of whether you accept my final offer or not.”

“What would this entail?” Harry asked.

“Oh, this and that. I would like to focus on developing certain magical abilities and perhaps teach you a bit of history. A good friend of mine would likely focus on duelling. Another would focus on your spell repertoire. It would certainly be of help to you, I imagine.”

“I suppose so,” Harry said. “OK.”

“Splendid. Moving on, let us return to the topic of Horcruxes for a moment. I believe the Dark Lord has created six, with the seventh piece in his body. I cannot be sure of this, but I am sure enough to begin acting. Two have already been destroyed; one was the diary that your brother, Mark, stabbed with a basilisk fang," Harry winced at the reminder of the events of last year. "And the other was Voldemort's snake, Nagini. She was killed in a raid about six years ago. He may make more upon his inevitable return, but if I am correct, he would push his soul beyond the limit with just one more."

“So, there’s still four to find? And they could be absolutely anything?”

“Not quite,” said Dumbledore. “They have to be important to the maker somehow. Voldemort, as you will see in our lessons, liked taking keepsakes from his murders and I believe I have identified a few possible Horcruxes from those, as well as a few possible hiding places.”

“Right,” Harry said sarcastically. “And I suppose we’ll destroy them with our ready supply of basilisk venom.”

“Exactly.” Said Dumbledore.

At Harry’s disbelieving look, Dumbledore continued, “The sword that Mark used to kill the basilisk was goblin-made. It will have taken in that which makes it stronger; in this case, the venom. Ah,” he said, turning back to the interview. “It seems we’re coming to an end.”

“I see,” memory-Dumbledore was saying. “I apologise most sincerely, Ms Trelawney, but it appears you do not have enough of the gift to teach Divination. My thanks for your time, but I must take your leave.”

“I—!”

“Goodbye.”

He stood and walked to the door. Just as he’d touched the doorknob, however, Trelawney spoke again, though something was different about her voice. Harsher.

" _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..._ "

The memory faded just as memory-Dumbledore turned, and the door opened to reveal Abeforth holding a young, black-haired man tightly by the shoulder.

Back in the present, Harry slammed his fist on the table. “You’re bloody kidding!” He cried.

“I am afraid, Harry, that I am not.”

“Who is it then? Me or Mark? We’re both born on 31st July.”

“I believe it is Mark, Harry, and when the time comes, he will need to face the Dark Lord.”

"What do you want to train me for then?" He demanded. "You should be training Mark so that he doesn't die!"

“Voldemort will return, Harry. He is waiting for the chance to restore his body and his forces, but he will return and war will break out once again when he does. We have the chance to prepare for it, at the very least, and if the last war proved anything, it is that we cannot afford to fight as honourably as we have in the past. We need spies, double agents, to give us an edge. Especially seeing as Mark has, forgive me, only survived through sheer, dumb luck.”

The office was silent. Even the portraits, who had long since given up pretending to be asleep and had been whispering to one another, fell silent.

"Damn," Harry whispered.

“I cannot force you to do so, my boy, but I cannot think of anyone more capable than you are.”

“Even if I do this, what difference does it make?” Harry asked.

“All the difference, Harry. Countless lives could be saved, including your family.”

“And you’re sure it has to be Mark?”

“He was ‘marked as his equal’ by the scar. I am reasonably certain that he is the one spoken of in the prophecy.”

Harry sighed. “OK,” He said. “OK. I’m ready. Just tell me when to start.”

Harry had never seen Dumbledore look like anything other than the eccentric, yet powerful man that the Wizarding World saw him as, but at that moment, he looked more like an old man than anything else.

"Forgive me, child," Dumbledore said. “You cannot truly understand now how much of a burden I have placed on you. I will ask only once: are you sure? You will have to take the Dark Mark and you cannot tell your friends and family. To them, it will seem as though you have defected. It will be dangerous, as well.”

"I'm sure," Harry said, firmly. "It needs to be done."

“Then I ask you to return on Monday. We will begin then.”

“ _The life of spies is to know, not be known.”— **George Herbert**_

**Author's Note:**

> I’ll be honest. I don’t have an upload schedule. I just write when I’m in the mood to and even then, what I work on isn’t necessarily what I should be working on. Because of that, it’s unlikely for this to be finished anytime soon. That’s one of the reasons I don’t like posting fics until I’m completely done with them. Nevertheless, I hope you’ll join me on the journey to obliviating Serpent’s Strike from everyone’s minds.
> 
> I mean, to improvement! Yes, that’s what I meant!
> 
> Know that this isn’t my normal chapter size. I aim for 5–6k, but end up reaching 3–4k instead, more often than not. I’m thinking a chapter or two more of preparation, then Harry the Spy starts. The title might be changed too.
> 
> Please leave a review! I welcome any criticism you may have for me— constructive or otherwise.
> 
> P.S: If you’re a Zelda fan, you might be interested in joining the Reddit community r/ZeldaFanFiction. The ‘Recommendations’ page of the Wiki, especially, is worth a visit.
> 
> Started: 8th September 2020
> 
> Completed: 8th September 2020
> 
> Edited/Proofread: 11th September 2020
> 
> Posted: 11th September 2020


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